Devil

Adam was alerted. It felt like his thoughts, but he clearly did not have this information a couple of seconds before. He could only assume he was being influenced by an external source.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Me Yorki" answered the Tengu by his side. It had a confused expression on its face.

"Not you" answered Adam.

Irulan's last words before she left came back to Adam's mind. He rolled the blue crystal between his fingers. It seemed like any other regular stone to his senses.

"Are you the devil Irulan left me?" he asked out loud.

"Yes" the answer popped in his mind.

Adam remembered that Irulan had told him he needed to fight the devil. Something about having to swallow the crystal.

"Are we already fighting?" he asked.

"We are not. We do not need to fight. I can feel your mind is kindred to mine. Let's work together. I can help you achieve your goals" was answered.

Adam sensed this was a turning point. His next steps would impact the rest of his game-maybe-not-a-game existence. On the one hand, he could ally with a devil who was offering a peace treaty. On the other, he could follow the instructions provided by the only friend he had found in this hellscape.

His decision was interrupted by a sudden rush of noise from the village. He could see how most of the Tengu took refuge inside the small buildings. Same as when he arrived with Irulan, 20 individuals placed themselves as a barrier in front of the village.

"What is happening Yorkie?" Adam asked.

"Danger." Came from the door of a nearby structure.

"The tribe seems to have detected a wild demon roaming around the village. The rhythmic noises you can hear have a meaning Adam. It talks about a canine of the scavenging class" popped in Adam's head.

This type of interaction was disconcerting to Adam. Do not get me wrong. The information is helpful. In any situation, information is power. The individual who can understand the most has half the battle won.

"Can you communicate with me in any other way? It is disturbing to get the information directly in my brain. Can you show it in text form in front of my eyes?" he asked.

<σαν αυτό?> appeared in Adam's line of sight.

The text moved when he moved his head, so it actively followed his line of sight. It also had the property of not obstructing what was behind it.

"That is better. I just need it to be in English" answered Adam.

After a couple of seconds, a new text appeared.

"Yes. Much better. Now, what can you tell me about the attack on the village? How can I help?" asked Adam.

When Adam paid attention to the defenders, he could see a beast of about the same height as the Tengu but longer. To him, it seemed like a mix between a dog and a frog. Its mouth was filled with serrated teeth and its skin was a mix of red and brown stripes. Its paws were the same size as the heads of the Tengu.

The defenders did not seem intimidated. While it was occupied with the 5 just in front, the rest started circling it on both sides. As soon as all of them were in position, they all pounded at the same time on the beast.

After about 5 minutes of struggle, they managed to kill the beast. Then came more shouting followed by the defenders dragging the corpse to the center of the village. The Tengu then started to cook and eat the beast. It seemed these kinds of raids were a regular event for the Tengu.

They were using themselves as bait for the predators in the savanna. It was due to their use of weapons and higher numbers that they managed to make it work.

It seemed clear to Adam this strategy had a flaw. The moment an animal that could not be killed by the mob strategy came, the village would face extinction. Another issue would be when a pack of beasts appeared. The Tengu were no match on an individual basis.

"Savior. We get food now or it will run out" said Yorki before running to the rest of its kind.

Adam could not help but notice that 2 Tengu's of the defender team died. He also observed that no other Tengu mourned or lamented their deaths. This was part of their daily lives. The only acknowledgment they got was the chief walking by and gathering their weapons to bring back into town. It seemed this world was guided by the law of the jungle.